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Skarloey/RWS
United Kingdom England |relatives = Talyllyn Rheneas Dolgoch |status = Operational |basis = Fletcher Jennings Class C |gauge = |powertype = Steam |vehicle = Locomotive |type = Saddle tank locomotive |fueltype = Coal |config = 0-4-2ST, originally 0-4-0ST |wheels = 6, originally 4 |topspeed = 35 mph |designer = Henry A Fletcher |builder = Fletcher, Jennings & Co. |yearbuilt = 1864 |arrivedonsodor = May 1865 |number = SR 1 |railway = Skarloey Railway }} Skarloey is a narrow gauge saddle tank engine who works on the Skarloey Railway. He was the first engine to work on the railway, and is one of the oldest engines on Sodor. He has a twin, Talyllyn, who works on the Talyllyn Railway, and Rheneas is his brother. Biography Skarloey was built by Fletcher, Jennings & Co. in Whitehaven, Cumberland, England in 1864 and, like his twin Talyllyn, was originally delivered as an 0-4-0ST with no cab. He arrived on Sodor in May 1865 to assist with the construction of the Skarloey Railway. He was delivered by ship to Kirk Ronan, and taken to Crovan's Gate by Neil. Skarloey was immature and refused to pull trucks, believing he was only suited for passenger work. As the railwaymen did not understand engines well, Skarloey found it easy not to cooperate with them and refused to move. After the men spent several days failing to get him to move, Mr Mack had Skarloey sheeted under a tarpaulin and left him alone until he could learn his lesson. Eventually Skarloey saw the error of his ways, and was glad to start working when Mr Bobbie, one of the men who helped build him in England, came to Sodor to work with him, and together they got the line finished by the time Rheneas arrived. When he was chosen to pull the Directors' Train, Skarloey became excited, and ignored Rheneas' advice about being careful. Due to his short wheelbase and excessive overhang, Skarloey was a rough rider. When Mr Mack closed his regulator too early, the coaches, who thought Skarloey had bumped them on purpose, pushed into him, causing him to bounce and knocking Mr Mack off his footplate and into a bush. Mr Mack had Skarloey shut up in the shed for the rest of the day and had Rheneas pull the Directors' Train, but came back to apologise. When the Inspector arrived, he advised Mr Mack to have Skarloey fitted with another set of wheels to improve his running. Skarloey was sent back to Whitehaven, and returned with a set of trailing wheels and a cab. He started to become conceited, especially when the coaches complimented over him over his cab. He began boasting about his new cab too, and got in an argument with Rheneas over it, calling him a "stick-in-the-mud". The two engines refused to speak to each other for several days, until one day Skarloey got stuck in a landslide while taking workmen up to the quarry and Rheneas had to rescue him. Skarloey apologised for his boasting, and the two engines laughed when they realised ''he had been the "stick-in-the-mud". The trailing wheels helped improve Skarloey's running greatly, and this, together with the cab, made him a favourite with the men in spite of his shy steaming. In consequence Skarloey always worked harder than Rheneas, and in 1987 he had to return to Whitehaven for heavy repairs. No further overhauls were done to him apart from general maintenance at the SR workshop, the result being that by 1945 his boiler and firebox were in such a poor state that he had to be laid aside, only to be steamed in dire emergency. In 1952, Rheneas was sent to England to be overhauled, and Skarloey was left in the shed while two new engines, Sir Handel and Peter Sam, worked the line. However, when Sir Handel was damaged in an accident and Peter Sam was ill, Skarloey came out of the shed to pull Sir Handel's passenger train. At first the train ran smoothly, but on the return journey, one of Skarloey's springs broke, causing his body to tilt to one side. Although he was weakened and in pain, Skarloey refused to give up, and limped back to Crovan's Gate with his train. The Owner praised Skarloey, and promised to have him mended so he could work once more. Skarloey was sent to Gibbon Bros. Ltd. in England to be overhauled, and while there he was reunited with Talyllyn, who was on the same errand. In 1958 , Skarloey returned to Sodor. Upon his return he befriended Rusty, and was sent to rescue Duncan when he got stuck in the tunnel. When the BBC came to Sodor to film a documentary about the railway, Skarloey gave a speech for the programme, and told everyone to visit Talyllyn on the Talyllyn Railway. Although Skarloey returned almost as new, he was still somewhat shy in steaming. After many experiments, however, Mr Hugh finally cured this fault by fitting a brick arch in his firebox and a Kylchap cowl on his blast pipe. This work was done in the SR's workshops with no outside help at all. When Duncan stopped on the viaduct with a passenger train, Skarloey was sent to take him and his train back home. Duncan began complaining about passengers after this, so Skarloey told him how Rheneas had saved the railway by keeping the trains going alone, making Duncan realise he had been wrong about them. Skarloey was present at the wharf when Rheneas finally returned to the railway in 1961. In 1969, Skarloey and Rheneas celebrated their 100th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the Skarloey Railway. Skarloey was chosen to take the Duke of Sodor around the new loop line, and was filmed for a second television documentary being filmed by the BBC. After the festivities were over, Skarloey and the other engines were told about Duke by Sir Handel and Peter Sam. Skarloey later underwent another heavy overhaul, this time at Crovan's Gate Works. He returned to service in May 1985. In 1997, Skarloey was chosen to bring the special guests to Crovan's Gate for Ivo Hugh's naming ceremony. Along the way, his train was delayed when a sow and her piglets strayed onto the line, and the guests had to put the pigs back in their field. Skarloey arrived at the sheds in time for the ceremony. Personality and traits Skarloey is the sage of the Skarloey Railway. A wise, experienced and faithful engine, Skarloey is one of the oldest engines on his railway and may often try to guide the younger or more inexperienced engines in a firm but fair manner. He is also quite determined, a prime example being when he limped home with his train despite being injured. Skarloey treats everyone, people and engines alike, with kindness and respect, and always enjoys taking a quiet, peaceful run, stopping by all the old gates and stiles he remembers so well. However, Skarloey was not always wise or level-headed. In his youth, Skarloey was bouncy, excitable, immature and cocky. He refused to pull trucks, believing he was better suited for coaches, and did not initially cooperate with the railwaymen. He became increasingly more smug when he received his cab and quarreled with Rheneas over it, although the two engines later made up. Since then, Skarloey has matured into the mature, sensible engine he is today. Technical details Basis Skarloey is based on the Talyllyn Railway's ''Talyllyn, a Fletcher Jennings Class C 0-4-2 saddle tank locomotive built by Fletcher, Jennings & Co. in 1864. Several real historical events that happened with Talyllyn were mirrored by its fictional counterpart. In The Railway Series, Talyllyn is Skarloey's twin. As of 2018, Talyllyn has been undergoing an overhaul due to its boiler ticket having expired. Livery Skarloey is painted in the Skarloey Railway's standard red livery with blue lining. His wheels are black, his dome, cab windows and the ring around his funnel are brass, his name is painted on the sides of his saddle tank in yellow, and he carries brass and black plates carrying his number on his coal bunkers and the rear end of his cab. In Four Little Engines, Skarloey's wheels and dome were painted red; these became black and brass respectively in later books, although in Gallant Old Engine, his dome is red again. In Very Old Engines, when he was first built, Skarloey had blue and gold lining, red side rods, and brass builder's plates on his coal bunkers. Trivia * His name is Sudric for "Lake in the Woods". * In the Four Little Engines story, Skarloey Remembers, Skarloey and Rheneas are referred to as brothers. This is the only time in the franchise when this has ever been brought up. ** Their relationship as brothers is the only instance where two engines of different classes are addressed as such. * Wilbert Awdry made an 009 scale model of Skarloey. The model was made out of a GEM Dolgoch kit with a Peco James saddle tank and a new cab. The model is on display at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Tywyn, Wales, near the Talyllyn Railway. References }}